Autoamtic bag dispenser



Oct. 26, 1965 L. SERGIO 3,214,058

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ziw/zf/vcf 552 /0 United States Patent 3,214,058 AUTOMATIC BAG DISPENSER Lawrence Sergio, Enviro Equipment Corp., 369 Linden St., Bayville, N.Y. Filed July 1, 1963, Ser. No. 291,687 3 Claims. (Cl. 2216) This invention relates generally to vending machines and more particularly to bag dispensing means for ice cube vending machines.

At the present time, such machines operate in two ways. First, a machine may be loaded with prepacked bags of ice cubes and by coin operated means, the prepacked bags are singly delivered to a purchaser. Machines of this type are costly to maintain because of the labor entailed in prepacking the bags and because ice cubes made in one location have to be transported to the dispensing machines. The other type machine may be loaded with ice cubes or may manufacture them on the site. Bags are disposed in a holder and may be removed without use of the machine. This, of course, lays the machine open to vandalism or loss of bags by childish pranks. This result-s in reduction in sales.

The present invention is particularly adapted to the latter of the aforementioned vending machines and has for its prime purpose means for automatically dispensing bags for ice cubes when such cubes are purchased.

Another object of this invention is to provide storage means for bags in ice cube vending machines and for singly dispensing such bags when ice cubes are purchased.

Another object of this invention is to provide the foregoing means whose operation is automatic and provides a bag to a purchaser before the machine is cycled to dispense ice cubes.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an ice cube dispensing machine embodying the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the bag storage container and means for activating a signal to indicate that there are no bags lefts, which means may also be included in the bag delivery circuit,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the bag delivery system and container with portions of the container cut away,

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 3,

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a bag to be dispensed and a portion of the front structure of the bag storage container,

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view, taken on line 6-6 of FIGURE 3, of the cam and a portion of a switch in elevation that is operated thereby that are embodied in the delivery system of FIGURE 3,

FIGURES 7 and 8 are sectional views taken on lines 77 and 8-8, respectively, of FIGURE 4,

FIGURES 9 and 10 are sectional views similar to FIG- URE 4 with a portion of the bag storage container in section showing the movement of the bag engaging means of the bag delivery system of FIGURE 3, and I FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of the bottom portion of a bag being delivered by the bag engaging means.

Patented Oct. 26, 1965 Referring now to the drawings and particularly to FIG- URE 1, an ice cube vending machine embodying the present invention has a cabinet 10 with a front wall 12. A coin operating mechanism 11 is mounted on the front wall 12 and has a signal lamp 12L which is lighted by a switch 35 when all the bags 13 stored therein are used.

Suitably supported within the machine is a bag storage container 20 having spaced apart side walls 21 and a rear wall 22. The front wall of the container 20 is formed by the projecting structure 32 attached to the front wall 12 of the machine, see FIGURES 1 and 4, and a door 15 which provides access to the interior of the container to replenish the supply of bags. Extending between side walls 21 and secured thereto, are struts 27a, which support a downwardly sloping bed 27. The bed 27 is formed of a rectangular flat plate, and is suitably secured to the struts 27a, the side edges of the bed being spaced from the side walls 21 and the rear edge of the bed being spaced from the rear wall 22, see FIGURE 8. The front edge of the bed 27 is provided with a depending flange 27b which is located substantially midway between the front and rear walls of the container 20, as shown in FIGURE 4. The projecting structure 32 is provided at its lower end with a horizontal discharge slot 33 defined by lips 34, and an inside upper wall portion having a lower horizontal edge 31 located slightly below the front edge of the bed 27. The container above the bed 27 constitutes a magazine for the bags 13 and the space between the front edge flange 27b of the bed and the edge 31 provides a discharge opening for the bags.

Disposed in the space between each side of the bed 27 and the opposed side wall 21 is a vertical adjustable wall 23, each provided with openings to accommodate the struts 27a. An additional vertical adjustable wall 23 is positioned in the space between the rear edge of the bed 27 and the rear wall 22. Each adjustable wall 23 is provided with a pair of vertically aligned horizontal arms 24 arranged to extend outwardly through suitable openings in the container walls 21, 22. Collars 25 are rigidly secured to the exterior of the walls 21, 22 in registry with said openings and through which the arms 24 extend, see FIGURE 4. Set screws 26 in the collars 25 lock the arms 24 in place. It is thus seen that the walls 23 may be adjusted for the size of bags provided and function to position the same in transverse vertical alignment as well as in longitudinal vertical alignment, with the bottom folded ends of the bags disposed adjacent the container front wall as will be hereinafter described.

A horizontal guide roller 28 is located forwardly of the front edge flange 27b of the bed 27 and has its ends suitably supported by the side walls 21. Closely adjacent the horizontal edge 31, see FIGURES 4 and 5, are two pairs of horizontal axially aligned and spaced apart pins 29, each pair of pins 29, being carried by a side wall 21, as shown in FIGURE 5. It is to be noted that the pin nearest the horizontal edge 31 is at a slightly higher elevation than the other pin of the pair. It will be seen that the pairs of pins 29 lie in a common plane that slopes downwardly in a direction opposite to the downward slope of the bed 27.

The bags 13 arranged in a stack within the magazine of the container and seated on the bed 27, are positioned in like superposed relation. Each bag 13 has a folded bottom and is disposed with the folded bottom lowermost, such that the lowermost bag 13 of the stack, has its folded bottom supported by the pins 29, the guide roller 28 supporting and/ or engaging an intermediate portion of the bag.

A follower arm 37 rests at one end on the stack of bags 13 and is pivotally connected to one of the side walls 21 at its other end by a shaft 38 terminating in a cam portion 39 outside of container 20. Switch 35 is mounted on the container 20 adjacent the shaft 38 which moves with arm 37 and has a switch plate 36 that is actuated by cam 39.

A circuit (not shown) is activated by insertion of a coin in mechanism 11 to energize a motor 43 having a shaft 44. A maintaining switch 40 is disposed in series with motor 43 in the circuit and has a switch plate 41 that is actuated by a cam 42 mounted on motor shaft 44. Therefore, inserting a coin in mechanism 11 provides power to drive motor 43. As motor 43 is operated, its shaft 44 rotates to rotate cam 42. When shaft 44 makes one complete revolution, cam 42 actuates plate 41 to open or break the connection of maintaining switch 40 to block current and stop motor 43. An arm 45 is also mounted on and rotates with shaft 44.

A rocker shaft 47 extends across container 20 and is rotatably mounted in side walls 21. An arm 48 is'fixed to one end of and rotates with rocker shaft 47. An idler or drag link 46 connects the free ends of arms 45 and 48 to each other so rotation of shaft 44 and arm 45 causes shaft 47 and arm 48 to rock back and forth.

Mounted on shaft 47 is a bag engaging member or picker 49 that has fingers or tines 50 adapted to engage the folded bottom 14 of the lowermost bag 13 on bed 27. As shaft 47 rocks, picker 49 moves from its position shown in FIGURE 4 through an intermediary position shown in FIGURE 9 to its feed position shown in FIG- URE 10, and then returns. Fingers or tines 50 course an arcu-ate path between roller 28 and rods 29 grasping the folded bottom 14 of the lowermost bag 13 as in FIG- URE 9 and delivering the bottom of such bag to slot 33 as in FIGURE 10. The bag 13 may then be withdrawn and opened. Placing the opened bag 13 beneath a chute in wall 12 as indicated in FIGURE 1, a button or other means (not shown) may be actuated to cause dispensing of ice cubes.

It should be understood that switch 35 in addition to causing lamp 12L to light when all bags have been used,

may be included in the power circuit (not shown) to While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a vending machine, a bag storage and dispensing device comprising:

(a) a bag storage container within the machine,

(b) said container having vertical parallel side Walls 'and a vertical rear wall,

(c) a projecting structure including a door mounted on the front of the vending machine, and constituting a front wall for said container,

(d) said door providing access to the interior of said container,

(e) a bag discharge slot in said projecting structure positioned beneath said door,

(f) a downwardly sloping flat rectangular bed for supporting a stack of bags fixedly positioned within said container and having its front edge, side edges and rear edge spaced respectively from said container front wall, side walls and rear wall and with its front edge located substantially mid-way between said container front and rear walls and above said discharge slot,

(g) means adjacent the side and rear edges of said bed and supported respectively by said container side and rear walls for maintaining the stack of bags in. position,

(h) a horizontal guide roller positioned forwardly of the front edge of said bed and adjacent thereto and mounted on said container side walls,

(i) a pair of horizontal bag supporting pins mounted on each container side wall and positioned adjacent the container front wall,

(j) said pairs of supporting pins lying in a common plane inclined in -a direction opposite to the downward slope of said bed,

(k) a horizontal rocker shaft positioned below and forwardly of the front edge of said bed and pivotally supported at its ends on said container side walls,

(1) a picker member comprising arcuate finger means secured to said rocker shaft,

(m) drive means connected to said rocker shaft to impart a rocking movement thereto, the bags of the stack supported on said bed each having a downwardly directed folded bottom with the bags of the stack arranged in like superposed relation, the folded bottom of the lowermost bag seating on said spaced pairs of supporting pins and said guide roller contacting an intermediate portion of the lowermost bag, whereby on a forward rocking movement of said rocker shaft said arcuate finger means will engage the folded bottom of the lowermost bag to pull the same forwardly and downwardly for placement in said delivery slot.

2. The bag storage and dispensing device of claim 1, wherein said means for positioning the stack of bags comprises:

(a) a pair of vertical auxiliary side walls within said container each positioned between a container side wall and a corresponding opposed side edge of said bed,

(b) a vertical auxiliary rear wall within said container positioned between said container rear wall and the opposed rear edge of said bed,

(c) a plurality of rod elements secured to each auxiliary wall and extending through openings in the corresponding container side and rear walls,

(d) collars fixedly positioned on the exterior side of each said container side and rear wall, each collar receiving therein a rod element, and

(e) securing means carried by each collar for clamping its associated rod element in position, whereby to secure said auxiliary side walls in fixed adjusted position to maintain the stack of bags in tranverse vertical alignment, and to secure said auxiliary rear wall in fixed adjusted position to maintain the stack of bags in longitudinal vertical alignment for proper positioning of the folded bottoms of the bags relative to the pairs of supporting pins and picker member.

3. The bag storage and dispensing device of claim 2, including:

(a) a follower arm,

(b) a shaft rotatably supported by at least one container side wall adjacent the upper end thereof,

(c) said follower arm having its upper end rigidly secured to said shaft and with its lower end arranged to engage the uppermost bag of the stack until the supply of bags is exhausted, downward movement of the follower arm imparting rotative movement to said shaft,

(d) a signal means on the front of the vending machine, and

(e) operating means connecting said shaft and signal means, whereby downward swinging movement of the follower arm to the point where the supply of 5 bags is exhausted will rotate said shaft to elfeet acti- 2,848,137 vation of said operating means to operate said signal 2 9 245 means- 3,051,286 References Cited by the Examiner 5 3,1195 18 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,587,860 6/26 Rittenhouse 221-39 1,747,387 2/30 Paulson et a1.

2,258,358 10/41 Harvey 22136 X Cramer 221-36 Mannhardt 22142 Stange et a1. 221-6 LOUIS J. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, EVERETT W. KIRBY,

Examiners. 

1. IN A VENDING MACHINE, A BAG STORAGE AND DISPENSING DEVICE COMPRISING: (A) A BAG STORAGE CONTAINER WITHIN THE MACHINE, (B) SAID CONTAINER HAVING VERTICAL PARALLEL SIDE WALLS AND A VERTICAL REAL WALL, (C) A PROJECTING STRUCTURE INCLUDING A DOOR MOUNTED ON THE FRONT OF THE VENDING MACHINE, AND CONSTITUTING A FRONT WALL FOR SAID CONTAINER, (D) SAID DOOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF SAID CONTAINER, (E) A BAG DISCHARGE SLOT IN SAID PROJECTING STRUCTURE POSITIONED BENEATH SAID DOOR, (F) A DOWNWARDLY SLOPING FLAT RECTANGULAR BED FOR SUPPORTING A STACK FO BAGS FIXEDLY POSITIONED WITHIN SAID CONTAINER AND HAVING ITS FRONT EDGE, SIDE EDGES AND REAR EDGE SPACED RESPECTIVELY FROM SAID CONTAINER FRONT WALL, SIDE WALLS AND REAR WALL AND WITH ITS FRONT EDGE LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY MID-WAY BETWEEN SAID CONTAINER FRON AND REAR WALLS AND ABOVE SAID DISCHARGE SLOT, (G) MEANS ADJACENT THE SIDE AND REAR EDGES OF SAID BED AND SUPPORTED RESPECTIVELY BY SAID CONTAINER SIDE AND REAR WALLS FOR MAINTAINING THE STACK OF BAGS IN POSITION, (H) A HORIZONTAL GUIDE ROLLER POSITIONED FORWARDLY OF THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID BED AND ADJACENT THERETO AND MOUNTED ON SAID CONTAINER SIDE WALLS, (I) A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL BAG SUPPORTING PINS MOUNTED ON EACH CONTAINER SIDE WALL AND POSITIONED ADJACENT THE CONTAINER FRONT WALL, (J) SAID PAIRS OF SUPPORTING PINS LYING IN A COMMON PLANE INCLINED IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DOWNWARD SLOPE OF SAID BED, (K) A HORIZONTAL ROCKER SHAFT POSITIONED BELOW AND FORWARDLY OF THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID BED AND PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED AT ITS ENDS ON SAID CONTAINER SIDE WALLS, (L) A PICKER MEMBER COMPRISING ARCUATE FINGER MEANS SECURED TO SAID ROCKER SHAFT, (M) DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ROCKER SHAFT TO IMPART A ROCKING MOVEMENT THERETO, THE BAGS OF THE STACK SUPPORTED ON SAID BED EACH HVAING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED FOLDED BOTTOM WITH THE BAGS OF THE STACK ARRANGED IN LIKE SUPERPOSED RELATION, THE FOLDED BOTTOM OF THE LOWERMOST BAG SEATING ON SAID SPACED PAIRS OF SUPPORTING PINS AND SAID GUIDE ROLLER CONTACTING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF THE LOWERMOST BAG, WHEREBY ON A FORWARD ROCKING MOVEMENT OF SAID ROCKER SHAFT SAID ARCUATE FINGER MEANS WILL ENGAGE THE FOLDED BOTTOM OF THE LOWERMOST BAG TO PULL THE SAME FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY FOR PLACEMENT IN SAID DELIVERY SLOT. 